


sweet dreams (eventually)

by adamantine



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4531761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adamantine/pseuds/adamantine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin has a nightmare the night before his wedding.</p>
<p>(For the Day 3 "Wedding" prompt of For the Future)</p>
            </blockquote>





	sweet dreams (eventually)

It was a sight Rin knew well. Lane lines divided the pool; there was race, no a relay going on. The crowd cheered but he couldn’t make out their words. He moved closer to make sense of the scene before him: the butterfly swimmers were up and Rin didn’t understand why he wasn’t with them. A swimmer trailing behind the others caught Rin’s eye. The man’s form was all off; he was a beginner out of his depth. Rin hadn’t seen someone swim so pathetically since… _No?_ _Was it?_

There was no mistaking it. That determined but unpolished stroke could only belong to Ryugazaki Rei. _If that’s Rei…_ Rin’s eyes darted to the group of freestyle swimmers, searching for the figure more familiar to him than his own. _Haru._ It was him, younger, but him. Rin would never mistake that shape for someone else.

As if he felt Rin’s eyes on him, Haru turned around. They were too far apart; Rin shouldn’t have been able to see him clearly. But he did. He saw Haru’s face curl up into a sneer, disgust and hatred in his eyes.

Rin could feel his stomach drop from under him. He looked away and closed his eyes, shaken. No. This was wrong somehow. It didn’t happen this way.

He opened his eyes and was met with darkness and silence. In front of him was a sakura tree, blooming, blooming too fast. The petals rotted before they had a chance to fall on the floor.

He let go of the chain link fence and ran. There was a light ahead of him, if only he could reach it. He slipped and fell. He tried to pull himself out of the pool but his arms were weak and useless. The sound of laughter surrounded him. Maybe it would be better if he let go. Stopped trying to pull himself up.

The tree in front of him was no Sakura tree. But something about it gave him a pang in his chest. He heard the sound of footsteps, someone was running toward him, calling his name. He turned around but there was no one.

Why would there be? He was pathetic, a joke. He didn’t deserve to be in the relay. He couldn’t even pull himself out of a pool. The only reason someone would come after him would be to laugh in his face.

_No._

This was wrong. This wasn’t how that day went.

His eyes searched the ground. There was something, something he was forgetting. A message.

When he found it, he could feel himself breaking.

Written in that handwriting he knew so well was the word “Free.”

 

 

Rin woke with a jolt, his heart pounding, crushing him. Moonlight and city lights lit up the room and he took comfort in the familiar ceiling above him. He gave himself a few moments to breathe before getting up for a glass of water.

He didn’t bother turning on any lights. Even on the darkest of nights Rin could find his way in their apartment. He picked a glass from the dish rack, not wanting to dig through the cupboard.

He smiled. It was one of Haru’s ridiculous “collector’s” glasses. On it was the ugliest fish Rin had ever seen, Loosey-kun included. Rin could remember the way Haru’s eyes seemed to sparkle when Rin had dumped the package on the kitchen table. Haru had spent a week battling it out on an auction site against other deranged ugly fish lovers; Rin had even caught him refreshing the listing while in the bathtub (”You’re going to ruin your phone!” “Worth it.”).

“Isn’t Frilly-chan the cutest?” Haru had asked the question in the same way someone might ask about a kitten or a puppy, anything but the monstrosity on the cup in front of him.

“What the hell is that thing anyway?”

“Frilly-chan is a frilled shark. She has around 300 needle-like teeth in over 25 rows that she uses to trap prey.” Haru had sounded vaguely insulted by Rin’s ignorance of the greatness of Frilly-chan.

“That’s a shark? It looks like a deformed eel.”

“How could you say that about your own ancestor?”

Rin twitched at the memory. He didn’t care what Haru claimed, there was no way Frilly-chan was a shark.

“Rin?” He felt a surge of fear before recognizing the voice behind him.

“Mmm.” Rin forced himself to relax before turning around and nodding in greeting to Haru.

“It’s 2:00AM.” Haru’s eyes were half closed.

“I was thirsty.” Haru stared at him. Rin shifted uncomfortably, suddenly aware he hadn’t poured any water in the glass. _Right._ He went to do that, acutely aware of Haru’s eyes following him.

“I’m going back to bed.” Rin let out a breathe he didn’t know he was holding at the sound of Haru leaving.

 

 

When he made it back to their bedroom, the rise and fall of Haru’s chest told Rin he was asleep. He flipped over his pillow, ready to give in to his exhaustion.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rin tensed. He should have known Haru wouldn't be sleeping after Rin’s little display in the kitchen.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Haru sat up and met Rin’s gaze.

“Rin.”

“Don’t worry about it, it was noth—“ Rin didn’t finish his sentence. Haru was tracing tear tracks on his face he hadn’t realized were there.

“You were crying. I thought I was dreaming but then I noticed you were gone…” Rin’s face felt nice where Haru’s hand caressed him.

“It was—” Rin was interrupted by Haru dragging him down into their bed. He pulled Rin against him — Rin’s back against his chest — and wrapped an arm around him.

Rin felt the tension he was holding leave him. Haru rarely held him like this, without any prompting. Maybe having such a shitty dream was worth it if it got Nanase Haruka to cuddle. He let out a small laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Rin thought of how to explain his dream. “I dreamt about when we were in high school, that first summer after Australia.” Haru froze. “It was the relay, the one Rei swam in. When you met my eyes, you were so angry. It felt awful.” A realization struck him. “That’s how I looked at you that day, wasn’t it?” Shame flooded him. Of course. He had seen his own expression reflected back at him on Haru’s face.

“You weren’t angry, you were hurt.” Haru kissed the back of his neck.

“I guess.” But Rin knew Haru was right and he felt a sense of relief. “There was more. The day of the other relay. But this time you didn’t come find me.” The details were becoming hazy to Rin. Had there been a sakura tree in the dream? He wasn’t sure anymore.

“Oh.”

“‘Oh.’ That’s it? Not going to offer any insight on my messed up psyche?” Rin bit his tongue, kicking himself for snapping at Haru. He didn’t want to be that person.

“I was worried it was about the wedding. That you were having doubts.” Haru’s voice sounded small and Rin wanted to laugh and cry for being so stupid. It was the night before their wedding and Rin had walked out of their bedroom at 2:00AM spooked, his face stained with tears. Did he think after seeing that, Haru would just shrug it off as “Rin being Rin?”

Rin wasn’t a child anymore; he knew Haru wasn’t some unflappable, mythical mermaid. He was a human being who got anxious watching Rin open a present, who felt frustrated when he couldn’t explain his feelings to Rin, who glowed when Rin paid him a compliment — but not as much as when he said something that made Rin happy. Of course seeing Rin like that would throw him off given the circumstances.

Rin wriggled free from Haru’s grasp and rolled over to face him. “Never. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this.”

Haru raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say that about the Olympics?”

“The Olympics were my dream. You’re my destiny.” Rin felt his face heat up. Did he, an adult man, really just say that with a straight face?

“Huh. Nice save.” Rin pinched his side. “Hey!”

“I was being serious!”

“That’s even worse.”

Rin huffed in annoyance. He knew it wasn’t one of his finer romantic speeches (and quite possibly didn’t make any sense) but Haru could cut him some slack. It was almost 3:00AM for God’s sake! Rin was about to give Haru a piece of his mind when he felt Haru lean closer, bringing his lips to Rin’s.

“Goodnight, Rin.” He kissed him once more and then went back to his usual sleeping position.

“Mmmm. Yeah.” He wanted to kiss Haru again. And then maybe again. But he knew that was a bad idea. He didn’t want them to look like a pair of zombies at their own wedding.

“Gotta be well rested for that wedding of destiny tomorrow.” Rin could hear the affection in Haru’s voice, so he gave him only a light kick before falling asleep.

 

 

A sakura tree bloomed, it’s petals falling and covering the pool beside it. There was no crowd this time; this pool wasn’t for an audience. The water sparkled and Rin knew the temperature would be just right.

“What are you waiting for?“ a voice next to him asked.

“You, of course.” Rin grinned and the man next to him looked away, a light blush creeping onto his face.

“Race you.” Haru’s eyes twinkled in a challenge as he waited for Rin’s response.

“You’re on!”

**Author's Note:**

> /Dumps this here before I edit it even more.


End file.
